1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to an airflow diverter. More specifically, the present invention relates to an aquarium airflow diverter.
2. Description of Related Art
Air stones are employed frequently for aerating the water of an aquarium to provide oxygen for fish and other marine life that may be present in the aquarium. The air stone is constructed of a body of porous material through which air can propagate. In a typical installation in an aquarium the air stone is connected via a flexible air tubing to an air pump located outside of the aquarium. The pump pumps air via the tubing into the air stone. The air stone then disperses the air to form a stream of bubbles that migrate upwardly through the water. The air stone can also be placed within the lift tube of an aquarium undergravel filter to allow an entrained stream of bubbles to draw water through the lift tube and, thereby, circulate water through the filter.
The construction of the air stone permits its use in situations, other than that of the fore-going aquarium, in which it is desired to disperse a gas within a fluid. However, for purposes of demonstrating the use of the invention, it is presumed that the air stone is to be employed for aeration of water in an aquarium.
A problem arises in the construction of air stones in that air forced into the stone tends to propagate through a portion of the porous material of the stone located generally in the vicinity of the air inlet to the stone, while the remaining portion of the body of porous material is essentially inactive in the process of dispersing the air. As a result, there is a significant diminution in the esthetic appearance to the paths of bubbles emanating from the air stone because the bubbles emanate only from the upper portion of the stone rather than emanating uniformly from the entire exterior surface of the stone. In addition, there is usually a mineral build up at the end of the air inlet into the stone that starts to clog after a while. Also, since the path of air is only through the upper part of the stone, the underutilization of the lower portion of the air stone results in a more rapid clogging and wearing of the upper portion of the air stone resulting in a more frequent need for replacing the air stone.
It would therefore be useful to develop a device for altering the flow of air from an air stone. It would also be useful to develop a device that improves the appearance of the air stone, thus making the air stone more attractive.